How To Clip Your Nails In Space & More Gravity-Defying Astronaut Beauty Secrets

Your nail clippings come back to haunt you Considering the importance of the missions at hand, manis and pedis aren't on the itinerary -- oh, and the chemicals in nail polish, such as alcohol, poison the environment that circulates the ISS's air. That, too. But Coleman notes that both female and male astronauts pay extra attention to their nails in space. "Some of us, including the guys, paint our nails with Hard As Nails products to give them extra strength, because the space suit's gloves and the environment are pretty hard on your nails," says Coleman. In space, outside ISS, Coleman says the air pressure that pushes down is like a hammer on your nails.

To avoid the pain, keeping your nails extremely short is key, but clipping is no ordinary task in space. "Every little nail clipping will fly off and float around until it lands on a filter," says Coleman. To keep her trims discreet, Coleman's clips her nails next to vents that suck in air and filter it out. ("I do the same when I eat something with a lot crumbs," she says.) Easy enough, although Coleman says getting to your toenails is it's own beast. "Imagine trying to clip your toenails in a swimming pool," she says. "It's less about balance, like on earth, and more about keeping your foot up to your chest. I have to enlist someone to volunteer their back so I have somewhere to keep my foot somewhat still," says Coleman.